Masquerade
by FlamingPhoenix202
Summary: Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.   -Oscar Wilde
1. Red

It was Easter.

Deanna had convinced him to allow for a masquerade-style ball to this year's party. The idea was to dress up in an elaborate costume so no one could see who you are and then have a voice-changing device inserted into your neck so your voice would be unrecognizable. It was a fool-proof plan to have a little bit of fun after a long day of work.

Holodeck 3 was programmed to look like a ballroom and decorations were hung from the ceiling. Tables of chocolate and bubbling champagne were placed around the room. The place was set. The party was ready to commence.

He wore an old-fashioned uniform that was red, black, and gold with tassels on the shoulders, a tail, and large clasps going down the front. His pants were similar, flaring out above his boots with a swirling gold pattern going up both legs. His boots were black, and his gloves white. A matching hat sat atop a brown wig that had been put on to conceal his baldness. The mask that was replicated to his specifications was the same color as his uniform and looked somewhat like a bird.

Champagne in hand, he waited. He had already talked to a few people, and been asked to dance several times by women in long flowing gowns. But none of them could compare to her.

He spotted someone coming towards him. She was tall, and wearing a long dress that was split up the sides. The dress was blue with lighter blue stripes going diagonally around her like cords of rope. The collar exposed her shoulders and some cleavage. Gold strings crossed over each other held her dress at the back and up her arms where the sleeved had been slit, and a gold belt was wrapped around her waist. Roman-style blue pumps with gold lace covered her feet and shiny blue ribbon was woven into her wavy, orange hair. The mask that hid her face was blue as well with light blue spirals protruding from the sides, and gold accents around the eyes that looked like lashes. Her lips were even painted blue for the occasion.

Could this be the woman he was looking for?

But he wasn't a man who jumped straight to conclusions. There were many women on his ship that had hair that was similar in color and style. He didn't want to set his mind to believe this woman was actually her. His mind couldn't just be focused on trying to find out this woman's identity. Masquerades were all about the mystery, right?

The woman was indeed set on him. Gliding closer, she stopped in front of him and leaned in close. Her voice had been altered to project at a deeper level, but it sounded incredibly sexy as she purred in his ear.

_"Would you like to dance, General Birdsfellow?"_

Tonight, he had already danced with a few women. None had appealed to him enough that he should do anything more with them than dancing. But he liked this one. He stated a reply in a voice that sounded similar to his own, but without the accent. Then he did his best attempt at a squawk. She laughed, and so did he. Good, she has a sense of humour.

They danced perfectly with each other. She obviously had danced before, and took the lead. She kept his clumsy feet in time to the slow song that was playing. It felt as if he had danced with her previously.

Their embrace started as a platonic one, their heads hovering over the other's shoulder and their hands placed on one another's back. The distance between them was as large as it could be between two dancers.

But that distance began to shorten as they continued to dance. Her hands traveled up to his upper back and his to the curve just above her buttocks. Their heads had dropped to the other's shoulder now.

Soon, her hands moved to wrap around his neck. She moved one of her legs behind his, finally closing the gap between them. He responded by placing his hands on her ass. She then nipped at his ear. He bit her neck in return. How long were they going to play this game?

The need to be alone with this woman was growing stronger by the second, and he couldn't take it anymore. Pulling away from the embrace, he made a gesture to the door and began to navigate his way through the dancers. She followed close behind. Once they had made it out, he scouted the hall for the first door he could find and entered it. They were now in the manual control room for the Holodecks. Luckily, it was empty.

He began to back her up into the console that commanded Holodeck 1. He helped her onto the console and placed his hands on either side of her body. He was just inches away from her lips.

"Smart decision, General Birdsfellow. You must know this room well. Are you an engineer?" She questioned innocently. He placed a finger to her blued lips and whispered in her ear,

"Shhhh, my Blue Maiden. Don't try to spoil our fun."

Slowly he removed his finger from her lips, and placed his hand beside her again. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he moved closer and locked their lips in a passionate kiss.

She tasted surprisingly sweet as their tongues danced. The darkness of the room made the red glowing lights in the room visible. She looked exquisite with the light outlining what little he could see of her face.

They soon pulled away from each other, panting like mad. He couldn't stand the suspense any longer. He had to know.

"Show me your face." He could only manage a growl now.

"Only if you show me yours." She replied. Her hands were trying to undo the clasps of his jacket as fast as possible. He tilted her head so she was looking at him, and nodded. She sighed, and lifted the mask away.

Two beautiful blue eyes stared back at him. Eyes he knew too well. The woman that he had been flirting, even getting intimate with, with was Beverly Crusher. His friend. Warning signs shot up all around him. Get out. Run. Do something before it's too late.

"Are you surprised that you planned on taking the CMO to bed with you?" The voice-changing device was still making her voice sound deep. With a press the back of her neck, it was turned off. That beautiful voice he had come to love now filled his ears."Well?"

"Surprised? Yes, you could say that." He tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat, but it kept pushing back up.

What would he do now? He wanted this to happen for so long now. But there were too many outcomes to the situation. What if this lead to the destruction of their friendship? What if they were never meant to be lovers? He wondered what had compelled to bring a woman with him into the manual control room anyways.

"Come on, what are you waiting for? Are you... 'chickening out'?" She was getting impatient. If he didn't take of his mask, there would be a likely chance that he wouldn't be able to do anything more with her.

With one final sigh, he tried to push his fears aside and took off the mask. Her expression drastically changed from that of a lustful one to one of fear.

_"Jean-luc..."_


	2. Blue

"..._How did this happen_?"

His eyes moved from her face to the floor. The ability to look at her had been misplaced, along with his confidence. They were substituted with guilt, dread, and fear of what was to come.

She obviously was displeased by the situation. Why did this have to happen this way?

"Beverly, I'm so sorry. I had no idea who was behind that mask."

She sighed and muttered to herself,

"Of course. That's how these things are supposed to work, right?"

They were silent for a few moments, unsure of what to do with the situation at hand. The least they would do is just think of it as a big misunderstanding and forget about it. He pushed away from her, ready to leave.

"Beverly," He began, cutting through the silence. "What happened wasn't ours to-"

She grabbed his arm to stop him and pulled him closer.

"Obviously we both want this. So what's stopping us?"

More silence accompanied them as he tried to comprehend her words. A large grin spread across his face. He kissed her again to show his approval.

"I didn't know you were such a flirtatious woman." He stated, finally looking at her again. She cocked her head and smiled sweetly.

"And I didn't know that you liked to take your women into dark control rooms."

"It was convenient, and the need to touch you was unbearable!"

"Well I think it's _sexy_."

They kissed again, and united as lovers. And no one took notice as they left the Holodeck control room and to Jean-luc's quarters. There was no need to be afraid anymore.

•••••

The next morning, the conference room was alive with chatter. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves at the party last night.

Data was expressing his curiosity in what happened at the gathering, as he didn't go because it would be too difficult to disguise him. Geordi Laforge was telling Data about the woman he had met at the party and that they were going to plan a real date. Lieutenant Worf was complaining about a malicious hangover he had gotten for ordering one too many alcoholic drinks, and William Riker was having a light conversation with Deanna.

Beverly walked in normally as if she didn't notice or care about being late for the meeting. Deanna saw her come in and motioned for her to join them.

"Will and I were just discussing what we wore yesterday night." She tells Beverly. The redhead smiles and sits beside Will.

"I was all dressed in grey and was wearing a wolf mask." Will began. "Deanna claims that she was a pink mermaid with a scaly fish mask. What were you, Beverly?"

Beverly hesitates for a moment before answering. "Well, I was wearing a blue dress and a matching mask with swirls jutting out of it. Some called me the Blue Maiden."

"Ya know what? I think I danced with you once."

"I think you might have! And tried to hit on me too." Beverly grins and slaps him playfully on the shoulder. He apologizes and flashes his teeth back at her.

"So, what happened last night?" Deanna touches her lightly on the arm to get her attention. She furrows her eyebrows.

"What do you mean, 'what happened'?"

"Come on Beverly. I saw you leave with a man wearing a bird mask and old-fashioned clothes. And you came in later than usual this morning. Obviously something happened."

Beverly began to flush profusely and looked downwards at the table. She felt Deanna reach into her mind and immediately shut her out. It took some time to find the right things to say without blowing their cover.

"He called himself 'General Birdsfellow'. I... He asked me to dance, and I gladly did. Afterwards he brought me outside where we were alone, kissed me... And left. That was all, I swear!"

"Mnhm. I'm sure about that."

Deanna was about to say something more when the doors to the conference room swooshed open and Jean-Luc entered. Everyone went quiet as they waited for their captain to speak.

"So, thoughts on the party?" He asks the bridge crew as he pulls his chair away from the table and sits down. His hazel eyes dart around until they lock with her blue ones. She smiles, and he smiles back. Deanna looks at the two with an intrigued look on her face.

"I think Guinan should stop purposely giving out alcoholic drinks in place of synthehol." Worf rumbles.

"I'll be sure to talk to Guinan about it, Lieutenant. Thank you."

Data jumps in."With the current design for the costumes and the state of the vocal adjuster, there is a 45.6759 percent possibility that identity would be discovered. Perhaps improving on them would increase the enjoyment of the gathering."

"I think with time I can improve on the vocal adjusters." Beverly states. "If I fiddle with the voice patterns enough I should be able to increase the realism of the voices."

"I'm sure if you work with the sciences staff you'll be able to do it, Doctor." His voice is calm and professional as it should be. If you listened carefully or knew him well, though, you would have noticed a slight compassionate tone to his voice. Deanna sure did.

"I'm glad that you agreed to do this, Captain. It was a great way to celebrate the holiday, but I think it would be better if we hold it on Valentine's day. Many people were brought together yesterday and it would add to the adventure of finding love. Make it more... _Special_." She looks right at Jean-luc and Beverly when she says this.

"Your completely right, Counselor. From now on we'll host it on Valentines. I can't wait to see how everyone reacts."

His gaze has mostly been on Beverly throughout the conference. Her eyes haven't strayed from his either. He winks at her from across the table. A blush spreads from her neck to her cheeks and she diverts her attention down to her busy hands.

While Will discusses ideas about what they're going to do for the next Easter, Beverly feels someone's eyes on her. She looks up to see Deanna staring with a knowing smirk on her face. Beverly knows that she's going to hear it all later.

This is going to be a long day. But she's loving it.

**_~Fin~_**


End file.
